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There's nothing quite so satisfying as a dance concert that explores not only a wide range of artistic expression but also keeps getting better as the evening goes on. That was certainly the case Friday night at the Edison Theatre.

PHILADANCO, a Philadelphia-based company, was engaging and frequently exhilarating. The concert was part of the Edison Theatre's OVATIONS! series.

The evening began with "Ritornello," choreographed by Gene Hill Sagan to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. With its nymph-like movements and fluttery costumes, the piece was reminiscent of the kind of thing that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has virtually trademarked. Although the dancers romped enthusiastically, "Ritornello" didn't come across as particularly original.

Things picked up considerably with choreographer Rennie Harris' "Philadelphia Experiment." As images of urban strife were projected on a screen, the dancers leaned into the rhythms of a hip-hop score. The piece was at once densely theatrical and emotionally cathartic.

But the company really found its groove after the intermission, performing works set to music by minimalist composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich.

"Violin Concerto," choreographed by Milton Myers and set to Glass' composition of the same name, achieved a haunting moodiness through a seamless melding of bodies, motion and Clifton Taylor's atmospheric and evocative lighting. The dancing was purposeful and precise, with the stage taking on the dreamlike mysteriousness of a moonscape.

Reich's "The Four Sections" perfectly complemented choreographer Christopher L. Huggins' masterful "Enemy Behind the Gates." With its march-like cadences, the piece took on a subtly militaristic feel. In costumes resembling uniforms, the dancers certainly seemed battle-ready.

Clearly, PHILADANCO is a company that's as ambitious as it is accessible.